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Quite often, gardeners and gardeners think about how to improve the quality and increase the yield through organic fertilizing and at the same time save the budget. This is where the so-called green top dressing comes to the rescue. They are becoming increasingly popular among amateur gardeners. This simple method perfectly improves soil fertility. Of course, self-prepared organic fertilizer from nettles or dandelions, as well as many other weed grasses or plant tops, will significantly save the cost of expensive mineral supplements and humus. This is a productive and affordable way to please your plantings with nutrients and extremely useful substances.
Valuable properties of nettle
Nettle is one of the most common natural ingredients for making homemade plant food in the garden. The indisputable advantage of this weed saturated with various vitamins is that it contains almost all the necessary easily digestible trace elements that are essential for plantings. Nettle contains vitamins, tannins, phytoncides and organic acids. Useful elements that are part of this amazing plant: calcium (37%), potassium (34%), magnesium (6%) and other trace elements. These substances are well absorbed by all types of garden and garden vegetation. Nettle fertilizer is especially useful for tomatoes. And vitamin K1, contained in the foliage of this weed, promotes photosynthesis and has a healing effect.
How to prepare fertilizer
To prepare nettle tincture, it is recommended to take branches with green foliage, but without seeds (plants must be checked to be healthy!). After selecting the tops, they must be folded into a container made of wood or plastic (volume at least 10 liters). To speed up the cooking process, the weed should be crushed and poured with warm water. It is necessary to infuse nettle fertilizer for two weeks, stirring constantly, but if the container is placed in the sun, fermentation will be much faster.
At the end of fermentation, the mass ceases to foam, becomes dark and the unpleasant odor disappears. Wood ash can be added to the resulting liquid, thereby increasing the value of the fertilizer. Some gardeners prepare green manure from a range of medicinal herbs, weeds, and other plants. It can be: chamomile, dandelion, valerian, calendula, mint; overgrown, but not flowering – spinach, sorrel, lettuce, etc.
One of the most useful and effective is the combination of nettle with dandelions. Homemade fertilizer of these miracle plants is quite simple to prepare.
The basis is nettle, and the well-known common dandelion is an additional ingredient. Plants harvested prior to seed formation are used. They dry out a bit and shrink. Then the mixture is poured into a container (it must not be filled to the brim) and poured with water by adding a solution of humate (one teaspoon per ten liters of water). Top dressing from these plants is insisted for five days.
After the mixture has matured, it can be used on the beds in its pure form or with the addition of ash. In addition to dandelions, it is quite effective to add wormwood, stepsons of tomatoes, couch grass (with roots), shepherd’s purse, etc. to nettle fertilizer. Please note that there are some plants that absolutely cannot be used in the manufacture of nettle and dandelion top dressing – these are cereals ( form alcohol, which is harmful to green spaces) and bindweed (poisonous).
Video “How to make fertilizer yourself”
Video instruction on how to make your own top dressing.
What plants can be used
Nettle fertilizer is a universal top dressing for almost all flower and horticultural crops, except for onions, garlic and legumes. Summer residents use it to nourish the soil with useful substances and repel various pests (nettle has a disorienting effect). Fertilizer from this weed is great for strawberries. It not only nourishes the plant with useful trace elements and stimulates growth, but also increases the level of sugar in the berries. And for tomatoes, this infusion is simply irreplaceable, due to the high content of potassium and calcium – both the bush itself and the fruits are actively developing and growing.
White cabbage, cucumbers, and peppers also respond well to regular feedings of nettles and dandelions. The infusion can be used for these plants twice a month throughout the season. This homemade fertilizer, combined with ash, will also be useful for flowers – it will contribute to their growth and abundant flowering. Today, more and more gardeners and gardeners are striving to switch to top dressing for various crops on their plots from natural products. Using infusions from plant organics, you can significantly reduce the level of consumption of mineral fertilizers and use environmentally friendly and healthy fruits from your garden beds.
Video “Dignity of nettle”
Informative video about the benefits of nettle.
